3 yr old urinating outside of box

[Mikendee]

My cat is three years old, fixed, and just started peeing outside of the box. We just moved into a house from an apartment, so I realize the transition might be tough. But this has gone on for a month. We got him special food the vet recommended because he had crystals in his urine. We also got a second litter box and put it in the one room where he seems to go. He is both peeing on the rug and spraying on the wall. I can't help but see this as being deliberate. We were told by the vet to lock him in a room with his food and litter box to retrain him, but it isn't working. As soon as he's out he is going on the rug. This can't go on much longer. Does anyone have any advice? Many thanks.

[jason]

health reasons : either the crystals have formed enough to cause discomfort (and eventual partial or full blockage...very serious) or a uti has occured. have you had your cats urine tested for crystals/uti recently?

behavioral reasons : as you mentioned, the move could of disrupted/agitated his routine a bit. you may want to try multiple litter boxes, perhaps even one in the area he seems to like to go right now for a while.

but i strongly suggest a vet visit to rule out serious health concerns that no number of litter boxes or amount of special food can remedy.

[kk]

Hi,

Did you take him to the vet for this particular episode? You did not state that uti and crystal formation had been ruled out, but based on my own experience, I would definitely rule out either one of those ASAP, especially with the crystal history. Everyone who comes here with the same compaint thinks it's deliberate, when most of the time it's the cat begging for you to see that something is wrong. If your vet suggested these methods without seeing your cat, I would go to a new vet. This is typical uti/crystal behavior. Good luck.

kk

[Mikendee]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I was not clear that we took the cat to the vet when this problem started and they did find crystals. The vet prescribed four days' worth of tranquilizers as well as the special food. We have been in touch with the vet on the phone as the problem has persisted and the vet suggested the additional boxes. The cat didn't take to the special food immediately, but he is eating it now and drinking plenty. He goes in the box most of the time, but has these episodes in the front room of our house almost daily. We put his litter box in our bedroom last night thinking he might be more comfortable in there because it's the rug from our old apartment as well as the bed, etc. With the move and the crystals both we are having a hard time determining what the cause for this behavior is. We are kind of running out of ideas. Thanks again.

[kk]

Hi,

Just because your cat is eating the new food does not mean it is working for him. He needs to have a repeat urinalysis to determine if the crystals are gone..your vet cannot assume that they are. There are different foods that can be used for this problem if the one you are using is not doing the trick. I sure hope you get this problem under control soon. I hope Traci will pop in soon and give you better info than I can about the variety of diets available. My cats used IVD diets "control" formula. What are you using? What type of crystals were found? Good luck!

kk

[Traci]

The others are correct, if your kitty has not had a repeat urinalysis/checkup since the initial crisis, it's time to do so immediately.

Kitties with a history of FLUTD will often display marking or spraying behavior due to stress and irritation, whether that is related to newly formed crystals, bacterial infection or bladder information will be determined upon a new urinalysis and exam. KK is right, while the veterinary prescribed diets are ideal for these conditions, not every diet is perfect for every cat. A urinalysis will reveal either infection or new crystal formation (i.e., number, size, type) and then it will be determined if the diet needs to be modified or not. (more veterinary diet choices Here)

Please remember, even in initial treatment of crystals/FLUTD, there is ALWAYS a chance of reoccurance or failure of treatment, it is for this reason that repeat urinalyses are done to ensure the most effective diet is prescribed, other medications are prescribed appropriately, or to determine the need for more diagnostics to rule out other problems associated or unassociated with FLUTD. Along those same lines, crystals that do not resolve through dietary management or medications MUST be addressed ASAP, this might require a total new treatment approach and/or re-catheterization. Never assume that your kitty will not develop more crystals, or that they won't develop into another type (i.e., struvite vs oxalate, etc). You don't want to face your kitty developing an obstruction with undetected crystals or blockage.

If your vet is not requesting a followup to re-evaluate your kitty and only advises you over the phone, see a new vet immediately please and get your kitty re-evaluated promptly.

[Mikendee]

The vet said she wanted to see the cat again in a month, and the month is up, so we are scheduling another appointment. She recommended Waltham's Feline S/O Control - pH Formula. We had been feeding him IAMS when this problem developed. I appreciate everyone's advice and encouragement. I'll be back with an update!

[Mikendee]

Update: We took the cat back to the vet at the beginning of the week and he is still loaded with crystals. If the diet change made any difference, it is not a significant one. We are now trying different food, including wet, to see if that helps. He must have remembered the previous time we took him to the vet because he had a complete fit this last time around. He hasn't really used the box the last couple of days and went again on the floor today. Maybe that's in response to having to see the vet and he'll calm down a bit. Thanks again everybody for your concern.

[jason]

Update: We took the cat back to the vet at the beginning of the week and he is still loaded with crystals.

ah, curious...what food are you using (not wet or dry, but the actual food brand and line).

has your vet mentioned possibly using uroeze? cant remeber right now, but maybe that was only for struvite and you seem to have oxilate on your hands...anyhow, the uroeze in addition to prescription diet food helped initially with mine that had so many crystals they had to drill to remove/make an opening. combinging uroeze with a presciption diet that is already designed to balance the pH levels is not a good idea in the long term, which is why i no longer use it.

you will probably be using a special diet for the remainder of your cats life, so finding one that keeps the crystals small and flowing out or that completely disolves them beyond what a scope can see is very important.

did you vet prescribe any other medication from your last visit to relax your kittie (making urinating easier for now)?